Promoting health and safety in traditional food markets to fight COVID-19 in Peru and Bolivia

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Traditional food markets are important for the welfare and livelihoods of thousands of families in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). During the current COVID-19 pandemic, these markets have been identified as important locations for the spread of COVID-19. The establishment of control measures to reduce risk of infection in traditional food markets is an urgent need. However, it is also important that these measures are developed collaboratively with those that may be affected, taking into account the adverse effects that strict controls may have on thousands of families whose lives depend on the markets. In this proposal we build on ongoing projects in two localities of Bolivia and Peru and on requests to members of the research team to support COVID-19 response in these localities, particularly in relation to controls in markets. Our strategy to tackle this complex issue uses research methods from different disciplines such as epidemiology, microbiology and the social sciences. We will provide a program to reduce COVID-19 transmission in food markets applicable to different countries, a computer tool to simulate, in a virtual market, how changing the way the market operates can reduce risk of infection and data on the presence of antibodies and of the virus itself in people at high risk, which could help answer important pending questions about COVID-19 infection. We will also build local capacity of market sellers, regulators and university students, which will be important not only in the current COVID-19 pandemic but to face future public health emergencies.